title: High-energy, high-repetition-rate picosecond pulses from a quasi-CW diode-pumped Nd:YAG system.
abstract: We report on a high-power quasi-CW pumped Nd:YAG laser system, producing 130 mJ, 64 ps pulses at 1064 nm wavelength with a repetition rate of 300 Hz. Pulses from a Nd:YVO(4) oscillator are first amplified by a regenerative amplifier to the millijoule level and then further amplified in quasi-CW diode-pumped Nd:YAG modules. Pulsed diode pumping enables a high gain at repetition rates of several hundred hertz, while keeping thermal effects manageable. Birefringence compensation and multiple thermal-lensing-compensated relay-imaging stages are used to maintain a top-hat beam profile. After frequency doubling, 75 mJ pulses are obtained at 532 nm. The intensity stability is better than 1.1%, which makes this laser an attractive pump source for a high-repetition-rate optical parametric amplification system.
authors.forename: Daniel W E
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Noom
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morgenweg
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Altmann
authors.forename: Kjeld S E
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Eikema
mesh_terms: D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D016011:Normal Distribution; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D013997:Time Factors